South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The communities of Mayom County in Unity State and Abiemnom County in the Ruweng Administrative Area held a peace and reconciliation dialogue in Juba on Monday to foster unity between the two groups.
A two-day roundtable dialogue was organised by Brethren Global Services, with funding from the Church of the Brethren.
It was held under the theme “Together for Healing, Harmony, and Shared Prosperity.”
The dialogue follows recent communal violence, cattle theft, banditry, and road ambushes between the two communities.
The conference brought together community leaders, elders, and other key figures to discuss strategies for resolving disputes and building trust.
James Rab Gollong, Deputy Chair of the Committee of Petroleum at the National Legislative Assembly, said that the peace and reconciliation dialogue aims to cement the relationship between the two communities.
“Let us come to the peace initiative that is being discussed now. The peace of Mayom and Abiemnom is indeed vital and will bring about peace for everyone. If we come together in reality, peace will follow,” Rab said.
Samuel Mabuok Nayiel, an elder from Mayom County, urged the two communities to embrace peaceful coexistence.
“What we want is peace; we want our people to be together as they were living before. We need peace before there is no need for violence. This country can accommodate all of us,” Mabuok said.
Kur Kout Kur, head chief of the Alor community in the Ruweng Administrative Area, praised the church for initiating the dialogue to bring about peace between the two communities.
“This violence can only be tackled by chiefs; no politician can solve the problems of civilians. We would like to appreciate the church for initiating this dialogue,” Kur said.
“It is the responsibility of the chiefs to resolve this conflict between the two communities; if it is due to the availability of guns in the hands of civilians, we will request the government to disarm them.”
